Siba Smarak Panigrahi
 Email: siba.panigrahi@mail.mcgill.ca

A Bit of Banff and Canmore, Canada
Disclaimer:
  • The following document is a result of a trip to Banff (with parents) in May 2023.
  • This document is written in a (very formal) way to (hopefully) help you plan your trip to Banff.
  • You can use your personal (or rental) car (or bikes) in Banff. However, we relied on public transport (Roam Transit).
  • The accomodations in Banff were super-expensive at the time of booking, hence we stayed at Canmore.
  • A good presentation uses a lot of pictures to motivate. Apologies, if they are too distracting! And if you find them to be too little, check more photos on Instagram!
     Day 1 (Calgary to Banff)
  • Departed from Calgary using Vivo Green Shuttle service (price was CA$ 20).
    • Pickup: Calgary Crowfoot LRT Station. The exact pickup spot was where On-It Regional Transit Buses arrive for pickup to Banff (they are even cheaper, CA$ 10, but run on weekends only).
    • Drop-off: Banff town commercial bus parking lot .
    • Luggage storage: Bounce Luggage Storage. Cheap and reliable.
    • Both drop-off and luggage storage were close to Banff Visitor Centre.

    Calgary-Banff1 Calgary-Banff2
  • If you are looking out, pardon the pun, for the (spectacular) view through the drive, you are in luck - Calgary to Banff (short) video!
     Day 1 (Banff Visitor Centre)
  • Our stay was for 3 days, so we selected 3-day Canmore/Banff Regional pass.
    • Use Token Transit app to purchase and store passes so that mobile is enough (don't lose your mobile though, lol).
    • You can consult the fare and details of travel on Roam (Fares) website.
    • In simple words, you can go anywhere in Banff and Canmore!
    • In complicated numbers, you can access routes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.
    • We consulted the people at Banff Visitor Centre. They have a nice chart to explain (and recommend) passes.
    • Always keep in mind the timings of the last bus from/to a place.

    parents-no-smile C'mon SMILEEE! People are looking at you :)
     Day 1 (Sulphur Mountain)
  • Take Route 1 Bus to Sulphur Mountain. The direction is written in front of bus, but you can ask the driver also (once sure, validate your pass).
  • Buy tickets for Banff Gondola, and then stand in (hopefully small) queue. Once seated, the ride is 8 mins and about a mile long.
  • The view throughout the ride and from the top is AMAZING (this word, by no means, captures what I felt at the top)! I didn't want to return down, but yeah, life. Are you thinking about the view from the Gondola? You are in luck - Banff Gondola (short) video!
  • There are food options (restaurants and coffee shops like Starbucks) also.

    • sulphur_mountain

    Ah, finally, captured the SMILEEEs!!
    baba-smile-mountain mama-smile-mountain
     Day 1 (Cave & Basin)
  • Take Route 4 Bus to Cave & Basin.
  • Heavy sulphur smell alert! Don't close your nose, but don't stay too long.
  • You will also find, drum-rolls, SNAILS in the hot water!

    • cave_basin2
     Day 2 (Lake Louise)
  • You have to puchase Route 8X/8S pass (express/scenic). We got 8X since that was only available. It takes around an hour from Banff to Lake Louise.
    • lake_louise

  • There are several hikes that one can take. We (yes, my parents too!) hiked two of them:
     Day 2 (Lake Minnewanka)
  • Take Route 6 Bus to Lake Minnewanka.
  • When we reached, it was late (i.e., it was after 7 pm), hence the place was pretty empty. Also, the next day we saw a morning route 6 bus was nearly empty. So, even if it is the second longest lake in the mountain parks of the Canadian Rockies, it might not attract tons of people.
    • We termed this event of being worthy and turning out less than expectations as "being Lake Minnewanka", lol
  • Nonetheless, the lake was really beautiful and calming!

    • lake_minnewanka
     Day 3 (Johnston Canyon)
  • You have to puchase Route 9 pass.
  • There are also several checkpoints in the entire hike of Jonhston Canyon.
    • We saw Lower Falls, Upper Falls, and Ink Pots.
  • Total hike (one-way) was around 6 km.
  • The view throughout the hike and from the top is AMAZING (this word, by no means, captures what I felt at the top)! I didn't want to return down, but yeah, life. You will see several splendid waterfalls on the way to the top.

    • inkpot
     Return (Canmore to Calgary)
  • We used The Banff Express.
  • We called and asked if it was possible to pick-us off from our residence at Canmore, instead of Canmore Visitor Centre and they agreed (due to less people) - the cost was CA$ 35 per person!
  • As a parting gift, I will leave you with the rainy trip back to Calgary:
    Canmore to Calgary (short) video!

    • canmore_calgary_rainy
Recommendations (for Indian cuisine)
  • We returned every evening to Canmore. We stayed at Mountain View Inn. If you book using their website, sometimes you can get discounts!
  • In Banff, I would recommend, Masala Authentic Indian Cuisine followed by Saffron Indian Bistro. There are definitely other places for Indian cuisine, but these are two we tried and hence ordering them. You can find other cuisines also, so don't think (which you are not, I know) there is only Indian cuisine available. In Canmore, we tried Indian Authentic Cuisine.
Hope this helps! Thank you for reading!